Kokeshi

Kokeshi (Japaneseこけし,小 芥子) are a characteristic of traditional Japan, art handcrafted toys. It is lathed from fruit tree wood figures, which have greatly simplified form, and represent girls. As a rule, they have a cylindrical body with no discernible limbs and a round oval head. They are painted with simple colors, some with round ornaments, some with floral motifs. The main colors are red and black. The faces are stylized to a large extent. Each craftsman has its own characteristic shape for him, as well as a typical painting and provides his work with a signature at the bottom of the figure. To protect the colors Kokeshi be provided with a thin wax coating.

As a special feature, some figures on movable heads.

They originally came from Northern Japan, the Tohoku region. Today, the city of Sendai is considered as " Kokeshi capital".

In recent years, the traditional forms are rare. They are increasingly being replaced by industrially produced figures which have a significantly different design.